1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a construction for an automobile and, more particularly, to such a construction with improved performance during a side impact.
2. Description of Related Art
Automotive vehicles, such as SUVs, have an automotive body with a plurality of cross members extending laterally across the vehicle beneath the passenger compartment. In addition, vertically extending pillars extend along the sides of the vehicle door openings. These pillars, furthermore, are typically aligned with and attached to one of the laterally extending cross members.
In the event of a side impact against the vehicle, the side impact, if of sufficient energy, crushes the pillar and intrudes into the passenger compartment. Such inward movement of the pillar into the passenger compartment is undesirable. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the inward movement of the pillar during such a side impact.
In order to reduce the inward movement of the pillar during a side impact, it has been previously known to provide a gusset having a first end secured to the cross member and a second end secured to the pillar. Ideally, during a side impact, the gusset provides additional support against inward deformation of the pillar as well as any panels, such as the door, secured to the pillar.
These previously known gussets, however, have not proven wholly satisfactory in use. Specifically, since the pillar is typically constructed of rather thin-walled sheet metal in order to minimize the weight of the pillar, the pillar rapidly crushes during a side impact resulting in a localized intrusion into the passenger compartment. Furthermore, pillar collapse results in a lack of direct load path to the aligned gusset, thus the force of the side impact is not effectively transferred to the gusset which deforms inwardly into the passenger compartment. In such a crash, these previously known gussets ineffectively transfer a sufficient amount of the force of the impact to the cross member of the vehicle.